Rochester and Buffalo to play a record four times in regular season

(September 4, 2012)… The Rochester Knighthawks will begin their title defense on the road to open the 2013 National Lacrosse League season. The World Champions will open their 19th season against the Washington Stealth at 10:00 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, January 5th.

The Knighthawks will play their home opener on Saturday, January 19th against the rival Buffalo Bandits at 7:30 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. The game will feature the raising of the Championship banner and other festivities that will be announced in the coming weeks. For the first time in franchise history, the I-90 rivals will play four times in the regular season.

Season tickets are currently on sale at the Knighthawks Office and can be purchased by calling (585) 454-HAWK (4295).

The home opener kicks off the first of two three-game homestands. The first features Buffalo, Toronto and Washington. The Knighthawks will host the Toronto Rock in a rematch of the 2012 NLL East Division Finals at Saturday, January 26th at 7:30 p.m. The next Saturday, Rochester entertains the Washington Stealth at 8:00 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena.

The Knighthawks will embark on a two-game in two-night stretch from February 8th-9th. On Friday, Rochester will battle the Philadelphia Wings at 11:00 a.m. at the Wells Fargo Center. The game is a rematch of the 2012 East Division Semifinals won by Rochester 14-13. On Saturday, the Knighthawks swoop into Buffalo to take on the Bandits at the First Niagara Center at 7:30 p.m.

Rochester returns home for the next two weekends to host two tough East Division rivals, Buffalo and Philadelphia. The Bandits come to town for the second time this season on Saturday, February 16th. Philadelphia then makes the first of two stops in Rochester on Saturday, February 23rd. The Knighthawks have a lone road game to start the month of March, which takes them to Denver for a showdown with the Colorado Mammoth and former Knighthawk John Grant Jr. Rochester battles the 2012 NLL MVP at 9:00 p.m. at the Pepsi Center.

Rochester then heads home for its second and final three-game homestand of 2013. The Knighthawks will start the home stretch on Saturday, March 16th against the Edmonton Rush in a rematch of the 2012 NLL Championship Game. Games against Toronto on March 30th and Philadelphia on April 2nd will follow.

Rochester ends the season with four straight road games highlighted by back-to-back games in Calgary and Edmonton. Before the “Wild West” Tour, Rochester heads to Toronto on Sunday, April 7th to play the Rock at 3:00 p.m. The weekend of April 13th-14th will be a challenge, as Rochester plays two games in less than 24 hours. First it’s off to Calgary to play the Roughnecks at 9:00 p.m. Saturday and then it’s on to Edmonton for a Sunday contest at 4:00 p.m. The regular season finale is much closer to home with Rochester hitting the thruway to play the Bandits at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 20th at 7:30 p.m.

The 2013 NLL Playoffs begin on the weekend of April 26-28. The playoff format remains unchanged, with eight teams advancing in a single-elimination format. The Divisional Semifinals will be played on the weekend of April 26-28. The Divisional Finals will take place on the weekend of May 3-5. The Championship Game is scheduled to take place on the weekend of May 10-12. Games to be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and other networks will be announced at later date.

2013 Knighthawks Schedule
Sat, Jan 5 at Washington 10:00 pm
Sat, Jan 19 vs. Buffalo 7:30 pm
Sat, Jan 26 vs. Toronto 7:30 pm
Sat, Feb 2 vs. Washington 8:00 pm
Fri, Feb 8 at Philadelphia 11:00 am
Sat, Feb 9 at Buffalo 7:30 pm
Sat, Feb 16 vs. Buffalo 7:30 pm
Sat, Feb 23 vs. Philadelphia 7:30pm
Sat, March 2 at Colorado 9:00 pm
Sat, March 16 vs. Edmonton 7:30 pm
Sat, March 30 vs. Toronto 7:30 pm
Sat, April 6 vs. Philadelphia 7:30 pm
Sun, April 7 at Toronto 3:00 pm
Sat, April 13 at Calgary 9:00 pm
Sun, April 14 at Edmonton 4:00 pm
Sat, April 20 at Buffalo 7:30 pm

Home Games in Bold